I am headed to the beach! I work for iHeartMedia and do a lot of work with one of our country stations, so I’m headed to Panama City for Gulf Coast Jam! I’ve never been, so I’m SUPER excited. It might be a work trip, but I love what I do and I love music, so I mean, I can’t complain. Thomas Rhett is going to be there and he’s definitely the one performance I can’t miss!

Be sure to follow along on my Instagram and also the station’s Instagram! I’ll post lots of updates! If you’re going to be there, let me know! I’d love to meet up.

Panama City is about a six hour drive, so it’ll be a little road trip, so I'm going to share some of my essentials with you! Anyone else love a good road trip? This post is sponsored by Her Campus Media and I wrote for them in college and definitely recommend it!

The first thing you need on any trip is a good backpack. When I fly, I always bring a backpack as my personal item and when I’m going on a road trip, I take that same backpack with everything in it! I love The Elly Backpack from High Sierra! This bag is water resistant, includes a matching zippered accessory pouch, and has a dedicated TECH SPOT tablet sleeve, core organizer with multiple pockets and key fob, adjustable drawstring closure, and a snap closure side accessory pockets!

The accessory pouch in the backpack is perfect for all my little beauty essentials! You’ve got to keep some deodorant, lotion, a toothbrush and toothpaste, medicine, hand sanitizer, some lip balm and lip gloss in case you need a nice pop of color.

My go-to lip product is Almay Goddess Gloss™! This is a new product from the Almay® Cosmic Collection, which can be found at Ulta Beauty. I’ve never been a big lip gloss fan, but I love this product! It makes my lips feel moisturized and smooth, never sticky! It is made with pomegranate, grape, and raspberry oils, which I love! It’s also hypoallergenic and fragrance-free, because I’m super sensitive.

For lotion, I love using the Lemon + Sage Body Butter from Bliss! This is a cult favorite best-selling moisturizer that’s rich and quick-absorbing, leaving skin smooth and soft – never greasy. It smells clean and refreshing, too! I have really dry skin, especially my hands, so I’ve got to have some moisturizer with me 24/7!

A few random things I always have with me.. my chargers, wallet, MacBook or iPad, a book, a sweater, water bottle, neck pillow, and a sleep mask! If you don’t have a sleep mask, you need to get one today! Sleep masks help block out all the light, so you sleep better. I have one from The Her Campus Shop and it’s made of 100 percent silk, so it feels super luxurious. It’s definitely the softest, most breathable sleep mask I’ve ever owned.

Now, let’s talk about road trip snacks! I used to stock up on things like chip and candy, but you know… I’m older and wiser, now. Because junk food was out of the question, I needed to find a good alternative. Garden of Life has these delicious Chocolate Sea Salt and Maple Sea Salt GōL Bars. These things are SO GOOD. These new GōL Bars are organic lifestyle bars that are made with just 8-to-10 simple whole food ingredients, each bar contains 12g of Certified USDA Organic, Non-GMO Project Verified, grass-fed whole milk protein along with real whole foods such as organic dates, nuts and blueberries. Each bar is high in protein and fiber with no added sugars, certified Gluten Free, and comes in 4 flavors - Chocolate Coconut, Blueberry, Chocolate Sea Salt, and Maple Sea Salt! These are perfect for anyone who needs a delicious and healthy snack!

Like I said earlier, I’m headed to Panama City later this week, but where are you headed for a late summer or fall trip? I’m looking for some really cool places to visit this fall, so let me know if you’ve got any favorites!

What I miss most about college is being around friends all the time! I lived in my sorority house most of college, so there was always something to do and someone to hang out with.

I love my life now. I enjoy my job and focusing on the blog, but I definitely miss being around my friends all the time. Getting pizza at midnight, hanging out at the Starbucks on campus, or walking through Target for an hour are things I actually miss now that I’m out of college.

You don’t realize, or at least I didn’t, that so many people move away after college. I moved about an hour away from most of my friends, but some people have moved out of state. It can be tough to go from seeing your friends every day to maybe once a couple months.

One of best friends is moving to another city for a job. I’m so proud of her, but I’m so sad at the same time. This girl has been my rock and has seen me at my worst. She knows everything about me and has encouraged me more times than I can count. Getting used to not seeing her as often as I do now is going to take some getting used to.

Can you relate?

I feel like long distance friendships are kind of like long distance relationships. You’ve definitely got to put in some work to make sure you don’t drift apart. When you find solid friends that vibe with you well, you definitely don’t want to lose that.

There’s a few things that you can do to make you feel a little closer to your best friends when you can’t see them often.

Make FaceTime dates! I do this with David, too! Set a time each week to catch up and talk. Maybe you both sit down and pour yourselves a glass of wine and spill everything that’s happened that week. I love girl’s nights and when you can’t do it in-person, you can always do it via FaceTime!

Have a favorite show you can’t miss? Make plans to watch it together (but like… at your own homes) and talk about it during or after!

Use social media! Tag them in funny videos on Facebook, DM them funny tweets, tag them in their celeb’s crush’s Insta photo (feel free to tag me in anything about Nick Jonas), and send them Snapchats of everything like Target runs, your cooking fails, and more glimpses of your day-to-day life.

Make plans to see each other! Whether that means meeting halfway for lunch or planning trips to visit each other’s cities, this is so much fun! I love showing my friends around my city. I feel like I’m a pretty cool tour guide. What’s better than exploring a new city with your BFF?

Yeah, it sucks when you and your best friends don’t live near each other, but that doesn’t mean that your friendship is over! It’ll just take a little more intention. With that said, I’m gonna FaceTime my BFF!

Anyone else can’t believe that August is already almost over? Let me tell you a little secret…

I can’t wait for fall and am so ready for summer to be over. I love cool weather, pumpkin spice lattes, and college football, so fall can’t come fast enough.

Fall is my favorite season and if it could be fall all year long, I don’t think I’d mind one bit! Even though I am crazy about fall, that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy summer. I enjoy the warm weather, barbecues, pool parties, and everything that screams summer, but I just want it to last like a month and I’m good.

When I realized that August was already pretty much like coming to an end, I realized that I still had some things to do before fall gets here. Georgia will stay hot for a while, but it’ll fly by! I made a list of some things I want to do before summer ends and I’m sharing it with you because I know I’m not alone. I know summer has totally slipped by for many of us. Here’s how you can make the most of what’s left of summer!

Enjoy a weekend on the water

I love the beach and I feel like a beach trip is a necessity for every summer. I haven’t made that trip yet, but I’m planning on spending a weekend on the water somewhere, whether that’s the beach or the lake. You can’t spend a summer without sometime near the water. There is something about it that is just so good for the soul.

Watch the sunset

With warm weather, you’ve just got to get outside. I love evenings and sometimes, I’ll just sit on my porch and watch the cars drive by. There is something so peaceful about being outside in the evenings. I love a good sunset and summer sunsets are so beautiful.

Go to the farmer’s market

I don’t do this enough. I haven’t done this in FOREVER! Fresh summer fruits and vegetables are great and farmer’s markets are so cool! Stop by your local farmer’s market for some of the best produce you’ll probably ever have.

Have a picnic

You can totally do the traditional sandwiches, but I love grabbing a good bottle of wine (just make sure you go somewhere that allows alcohol! I’m not against having a picnic in my own backyard), putting a good meat and cheese plate together with some grapes, and it makes me feel super fancy.

Enjoy brunch on a patio

Atlanta has so many good brunch spots and so many of these places have beautiful patios, but if you can’t get to a brunch spot, invite your friends over and do brunch at home! You can make a cute DIY mimosa bar and create a fun brunch menu or even make it a potluck brunch!

Soak in the last few weeks of summer left! Like I said, I can’t wait for fall, but I know that I’ll miss summer when its gone.

I don’t think my eating habits have ever been so healthy and guess what, I also don’t feel deprived at all.

I went to The Vortex just last week and got my signature peach moonshine and sweet tea, with their grilled cheesy mofo, and a side salad. I still had their delicious grilled cheese and a little alcohol, but I swapped my usual tater tots for fries and to be honest with you… I didn’t even miss the tots. That salad was delicious.

I feel really good about how I’ve been eating lately and I want to share some of my favorite things that I’ve been eating lately, especially my iced matcha lattes. Yes, I have finally discovered matcha. Why didn’t I ever try it before?Side note... I never realized how expensive matcha powder is, but thankfully, I found this one from Thrive Market that I LOVE! I recently discovered Thrive Market and I love it because they only sell organic and natural products at discounted prices! Get 25% off your first order here.

I’ve also been focusing on eating less meat, more plant-based foods, and lots more greens!

Breakfast

I eat breakfast around 8 a.m. each morning. Before breakfast, I’ve already had entire Swell bottle of water. I think it is so important to hydrate in the morning, so I drink my water while I meditate, workout, and get ready for the day. On the weekends, I’ll change it up a bit, but every weekday, I have the same breakfast. I make a veggie egg scramble with a pinch of cheese, half an avocado with Himalayan pink salt, and half a banana with cinnamon! Here’s how I make it!

I chop up mushrooms, bell pepper, and onion and cook it over medium heat until the vegetables are soft. I’ll put a lid on the pan for a minute or so to get the vegetables soft. Before they’re completely done, I’ll throw in a handful of spinach. I’ll them crack two eggs in the pan and add al little salt, pepper, and turmeric. Before the eggs are completely cooked, I’ll add a pinch of shredded cheese! Once it’s done, I just put it on a plate and add the sliced avocado. I’ll slice up half a banana sprinkle some cinnamon on top. This breakfast is delicious and very filling! In the photo, I added some chorizo!

Before I head out the door, I’ll make my iced matcha latte! I’ve been using Thrive Market’s culinary grade matcha powder and love it! I use about a teaspoon of matcha powder, a cup of almond milk, and a little bit of honey or agave. I shake it up to get it all mixed, add some ice, and take it to go!

Lunch

I eat lunch around 1 p.m. each day and lunch is usually whatever I ate for dinner before, which is a good serving of vegetables (I love asparagus!), some roasted potatoes or rice, and some protein like chicken or fish. If I’m not eating leftovers, I love to make a salad with green and romaine lettuce, tomatoes, onion, cucumber, avocado, and homemade ranch. I’ll pair the salad with some chicken or fish. I also love to make lettuce wraps… which is basically whatever I’d put in a sandwich or wrap, but I’ll eat it in lettuce rather than bread or tortilla. I really like to have some sort of salad at least once each day.

Dinner

Dinner comes around 6 p.m. each day. I love to make salmon, rice, and asparagus. I also really like baked chicken, roasted potatoes, and broccoli…or asparagus. Asparagus might be my favorite vegetable. In college, I made veggie burrito bowls a lot and they put Chipotle to shame!

For every meal, I strive to have protein, fat, carbs (think vegetables, not bread), and greens!

I mentioned earlier the my favorite vegetable is probably asparagus. What about you?

Now, my favorite think when I’ve got a sweet tooth…. has to be chocolate! But, dark chocolate! What about you?

I am that crazy twenty-something who needs to be asleep by 10 p.m. and no, I’m not joking. I need my sleep.

Sleep is so important. This is the time that your body needs and it is also when your brain processes all the information you took in that day.

I was listening to a podcast the other day… I don’t even remember which one it was, but it was one from The Skinny Confidential: Him and Her. The guest on that podcast mentioned that ideally, we should be in bed and asleep before 10 p.m. because of how our hormones are regulated. This was music to my ears! An excuse to be asleep earlier… yay! I love going to bed early and waking up early.

To help myself fall asleep faster, there are a few things that I do. First, I simply get into bed earlier. My whole night routine is done by 8:30 p.m. every night. Around 7:45 p.m., I’ll floss, brush my teeth, and fill up my water bottle before going to my room and getting into bed. Once I’m in bed, I’ll sometimes light a candle and then do my devotions, check my phone one last time, and read one chapter in a book. I’m currently reading Bobby Bones’ new book, Fail Until You Don’t: Fight, Grind, Repeat. I also have my phone set to automatically go to “Do Not Disturb” mode at 9 p.m., which is SO helpful. I try not to touch my phone after 9 p.m.Popular: Take Care Of Yourself, Tips For Self-Care

I do have a TV in my room, so I know that you really shouldn’t do this, but I will watch a little TV. When 9:30 p.m. hits, this is when I really make sure my body knows that it is time to get some rest. I’ll say, “Alexa, good night,” which tells my Amazon Echo Dot know that it’s time to play the Good Night Jazz playlist on Spotify for 15 minutes to help me sleep. Alexa routines are pretty cool!

Now, I have two products that really help when it comes to getting a good night’s rest.

The first… a silk pillowcase. Once you get a silk pillowcase, you won’t go back to whatever pillowcase you were using before. Silk is great for your hair and skin (it helps prevents wrinkles!). Also, I love how a silk pillowcase seems to always stay cool, because let me tell you - I just cannot sleep when it’s hot!

I also love my sleep mask. Yes, I sleep with a sleep mask. What's so great about this one is that it is raised where your eyes are so it really blocks out all the light and I sleep much better. It might look a little funny, but I love it!

Let’s just take a second to think about how gross our mouths can be. Seriously.

Brushing your teeth is great. Flossing is also something you absolutely need to do every single day, but there are some other things that you should definitely do to make sure you keep your mouth clean.

I take pride in all of my routines - morning, evening, skincare, workout - and believe it or not, I even have a routine to keep my mouth clean and healthy that I swear by. I've included the products I use so you can shop right from the blog! Some affiliate links are used.

Every morning, I brush my teeth. I love Arm & Hammer’s toothpaste, but I’m going to try Dr. Bronner’s next! I brush my teeth first thing and I don’t even drink my water until I’ve brushed my teeth. I’m not trying to swallow all that bacteria in my mouth and put it right back into my body. No, no, no! I also just started cleaning my tongue. I use this tongue cleaner from Amazon and let me tell you… if you don’t clean your tongue, you NEED to! There is so much bacteria that just sits on your tongue and you’ve got to get it off. I used to brush my tongue with my toothbrush, but honestly… a tongue cleaner works so much better.

In the evenings, I’ll oil pull. I use coconut oil and do it while I shower and straighten up after coming home from work. It only takes about 10 minutes and I can just go about my evening while I’m doing it. Before I go to bed, I’ll floss and then I brush my teeth with a toothpaste I make using coconut oil, baking soda, and tea trea oil. I’ll also use this charcoal toothpaste occasionally. I also clean my tongue again the evenings.

We all (hopefully) brush our teeth, but you’ve also got to floss every day! Also, clean your tongue and start oil pulling. Your mouth will thank you for it!xo,Amanda

Skincare has always been something that I've been so interested in. I've tried so many products and there have been a lot of hits... and even more misses. I've made my skin much more of a priority over the past few months and I've found some holy grail products that have worked wonders on my skin. This post does contain a few affiliate links.

I don't know about you, but when my skin looks good, I feel like I can conquer the world. Seriously. Remember in high school when you'd get a breakout on prom night or picture day? Didn't that suck? Even today, if I've got a breakout, I don't feel very pretty. I've been battling hormonal acne for a few years, and I've finally found a routine that is clearing up my skin.

My skin has also cleared up because I got a facial and I'm definitely going for another soon! I got my first facial just a couple of weeks ago and it really helped my skin, so if you're on the fence about getting a facial... just go.

If you missed it, I wrote all about my current morning skincare routine and now, I'm so excited to share how I've been taking care of my skin in the evenings.

I guess my skincare routine at night starts right before I shower. I take a small...and I mean small, amount of coconut oil and rub it on my face to help get my makeup off. Coconut oil is great, but you really only need a tiny amount. After that, I hop in the shower and wash my face with African Black Soap, but if my skin is really breaking out, I'll use my Clarisonic before I hop in the shower. I've been using the one from Shea Moisture and I've also noticed a difference since I've started using it. I've also been using this Alba Botanica exfoliating scrub a few times each week.

Once I'm out of the shower, I put some castor oil under my eyes. I heard somewhere that this was good for dark circles, wrinkles, and bags under your eyes, so I've been doing this for a while. I also use thisCoconut Probiotic Moisturizer from Pacifica. This smells SO good! I also do a quick spray of this toner from Eminence. This isn't really skincare, but I also use BabeLash on my lashes! This stuff works so well.

As you probably know, I love my routines and I never ever skip my skincare routine. Even if I'm sick and do nothing all day, I don't miss my skincare!

About The Blogger

Hey! My name is Amanda and welcome to my little corner of the internet where I talk about being a living your best life, beauty, travel, college, and just life in general. I work in broadcast media and love to bake, catch up on entertainment news, and travel.

Happy Monday! Ready to conquer this week? You got it, girl! I spent Friday night in Atlanta and came back home Saturday for my mom's b...

A Note To You

Just a note to you.. Sometimes, I'll use affiliate links for products, services, apps, and websites that I talk about here, which means that if you click on the link or make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. I will always disclose affiliate links and they help keep this blog up and running. I only support and talk about brands, products, and places that I really love. Thank you for your support!
Follow